Horse Lovers

People often ask me where I learned so much about horses, and in particular the secrets to growing long, beautiful manes (and tails) on my horses. Well, some of it was trial and error on my part, but I eventually figured out a lot on my own. However, I will readily confess that I never learned so much as I did the day I discovered Beth Moore. She has a downloadable book that is the last word on how to beautify a horse -- indeed, she refers to her methods as the road to creating "fairy tale horses."

Grow manes and tails

Do you want to see something really amazing? Click on the horse at left (or just click here) to see some really amazing mane growth results. Beth Moore knows what she's talking about, that's for sure.

As you may know, I am a firm believer that the proper nutritional supplementation, on top of basic good health care, can actually help your horse to grow out its mane to a length and thickness that will amaze everyone who sees it. I've written on this subject myself in a number of places. Leave it to my mom, though, to come up with the best general introduction to the use of supplements for extraordinary mane growth:

Nutrients to Improve Your Horse's Maneby Sarah Sandori

As serious horse owners and ring competitors, we devote a great deal of time to making our horse's mane as gorgeous as possible.

Now, many people might consider this obsession with manes to be frivolous. But we (my family and I) are completely serious about it. In our experience, having a horse with a long, thick, flowing mane will win the prize over a horse that may technically be more in line with standards, but that has an unremarkable mane.

Good basic grooming is important to bringing out the best of your horse's mane. It need not stop there, though, and in my opinion should not stop there. Take the subject of nutrition. Did you know that you can often dramatically increase the appearance of a horse's mane, tail, and overall coat by supplying selected dietary supplements, most of which are quite inexpensive and easily obtained?

Even if your goal is not to stun people with the beauty of your horse, the right nutritional supplements can prevent definite faults such as a brittle mane, or bald patches.

Flax seed is one of the best of all supplements to give a horse, in that it promotes all-around hair growth. Cider vinegar is another great addition to the diet, for general health and for preventing certain diseases.

Does your horse frequently scratch itself against objects, wearing its hair off in spots? A garlic supplement will control the itching and reduce or eliminate such scratching.

If you want a genuine super nutrient to give your horse, try biotin. This is a vitamin crucial to cell production throughout the body, and is particularly vital if you want your horse to have great hair.

All of these nutrients can help your horse's mane to look both thicker and healthier. Why not give them a try?

Is it really possible to take an average looking horse and grow a long, thick, flowing mane on it -- in a matter of mere months? Yes, it is. And it will give you an edge in the competition ring.

Beautifying a horse in this way has also proved profitable for a number of savvy horse people. These are the folks who will buy a mediocre animal, then apply the secret methods that spur the mane to burst forth in long, cascading locks, creating a real "fairy tale" horse. They then easily re-sell the horse for much more than they paid, making a nice profit for themselves.

Of course, most horse owners learn the secrets of growing amazing manes simply for the pleasure it affords them.

My own daughter, Lacy, has become obsessed with figuring out how to increase the length and thickness of her horses' manes. She has compiled some of what she has learned, along with valuable horse grooming and care advice, at her site on Beautifying A Horse's Mane.

Her source of the true insiders' secrets for growing astonishing manes may be found at http://www.HorseMane.info. As someone who has seen her horses take home the big prizes, time after time, all I can say is: it works.

Here's another article by my mom. If you've read my previous posts here, you can tell that she and I agree when it comes to horses. We both lavish a great deal of time and effort on beautifying our four-legged companions. Which is nice, because we disagree on almost everything else: music, politics, even food (though I'll admit she's a great cook). But that's what mother-daughter relationships are for, right? Right? Right!The Wonder and Beauty of Horse Manes and Tailsby Sarah Sandori

Horses have manes and tails, and we humans don't. Perhaps that accounts for their endless fascination to those of us who love and care for a horse.

Sure, we have hair on our heads -- most of us, anyway! But the hair in a horse's mane, as well as in its tail, differs in many ways from people hair.

As a horse owner and show ring competitor, I spend a lot of time on my horses' manes and tails. Attention paid to these flashier parts of the horse pays off in admiring looks from spectators, not to mention in the number of awards carried home.

A horse's mane is defined as the hair that grows from its neck. This includes the forelock, of course. The hair of a mane is generally much thicker than the horse's overall coat. Some horse breeds, and some individuals within breeds, have much thicker manes than others. I have seen amazing show horses whose manes practically touch the ground!

A horse's tail is an extension of the animal's spinal column. If you could look inside who would see a number of vertebrae -- on average around 18 or 20, but this can vary. Horse tails also contain muscles and ligaments, arteries, skin and hair. Horse tail hair is made of keratin, and in that respect is more like our fingernails than it is the hair on our heads.

The length and thickness of a horse's mane and tail are determined by to an extent by genetics. Many horses, though, posses an undeveloped genetic potential for fuller and longer hair in these areas. Knowledgeable owners who can help their horse express this potential have a huge advantage in the show ring.

If you own or simply love a horse, pay extra attention to its mane and tail. It will can pay off in the long run.

Although many have a hard time believing it, it is actually possible to take an average looking horse and grow a long, thick, flowing mane or a luxuriant tail on it in a matter of mere months. Such enhancements do win contests, even against horses that may technically be superior in terms of strict conformation. After all, judges are human, too!

Beautifying a horse in this way has also proved remunerative for some savvy folks. There are people who will buy a mediocre animal, then apply the secret methods that spur the mane and tail to "burst forth," as it were. They then easily re-sell the horse for much more than they paid, resulting in a very nice profit for themselves.

Of course, most horse owners learn the secrets of growing amazing manes and tails simply for the pleasure it gives them.

My own daughter, Lacy, has become obsessed with figuring out how to increase the length and thickness of her horses' manes and tails. She has compiled some of what she has learned, along with valuable horse grooming and care advice, at her Horse Mane and Tail site.

Her source of the true insiders' secrets for growing astonishing manes may be found at http://www.HorseMane.info. As someone who has seen her horses take home the big prizes, time after time, all I can say is: it works.

If you search a bookstore or on the Web, you can find lots and lots of wonderful advice on how to grow a horse's mane or tail. A few sources even go into the nutrients you can give your horse to speed the growth process of these showy parts. The best I have found, bar none, is the information at www.HorseMane.info. There are secrets there about horse nutrients that I had not seen anywhere else. Trust me, you will learn things about your horse and about growing a stupendous mane and tail that you haven't heard before.

Author

Lacy Paloman is a horse enthusiast who takes special delight in learning how to bring out the inner beauty of her four-legged pals. (She highly recommends www.HorseMane.info as a good starting point.)